All News

When you are strong?

Sacrificing with a Strong No Trump?

That seems a strange thing to contemplate. They may or will reach game after our partner opened with a 15-17 1NT. Should we be bidding on top of them because they are likely to make their game. Maybe we can make game too?

 

A 2-part question and you must be honest in answering Part 1 because you would not be aware of what would happen if you passed or bid say 2 now.

a.    Would you take any action over 2?

b.    If you bid anything other than 4 over 2, West will bid 4. What then?

We are playing Teams.

I agree with Stephen regarding the In between 3:

Stephen Blackstock “4: Over 2, only 2 or 4 have much appeal. An invitational sequence (if there is one) won't help because partner cannot know to value low honours in clubs but not diamonds or that I have enough spades not to need length in support. I would probably guess 4 rather than try to cut it too fine, but suspect that is a little cowardly. North needs a lot of specific cards for 4 to be desirable, and the chances of a successful defence to 4 (either red ace in North would help) are good. 4 seems like insurance against a catastrophe, but -200 when we might have been +100 or +200 on defence is expensive too.”

Or we have:

Michael Ware “3: (if invitational) If I had an invite with spades available, I would bid that. Playing Old Lebensohl, you wouldn't have an invite available, but playing Reubensohl you do. I don't like 4 as it is rare you need to pre-empt opposite a strong NT and partner will play you for more than this. If partner doesn't accept your invite, you have not missed game.”

Feeling the water temperature are:

Bruce Anderson “2: non-forcing (like many I play Lebensohl). With a seven card suit it is insipid to pass in my view; 2 could be passed out if the over caller is good for their bid, while if partner has some fitting cards, we will make at least 2.”

Nigel Kearney would have bid a pre-emptive 3 if he could. Kris Wooles, Michael Cornell and Andy Braithwaite all bid 2 at this stage without comment. One advantage of 2 over 3, if that bid were invitational, which may not be the case for most, is that we will know whether West wants to jump to game rather than be pushed there competitively. An immediate 4 has the maximum pressure advantage. Will they want to be in 5?

So, what to do when West does bid/ jump to 4?

Andy Braithwaite “Pass: leave the final decision to partner.”

They passed 4. The trouble is our partner does not know we have 7 spades.   

Michael Cornell: Lead 5.  Yes, the dive could be cheap but we could easily be beating 4.  A and a black ace would do the trick with just 8 of partner’s 15-17 pts. So, plenty of scope defending.

Those aces do cut down your losers in 4 too. That is where Kris is heading.

Kris Wooles “4: Initially, I would not know where this was going as North may have significant heart values. The 4 bid by West suggests they have all the values in hearts plus a willingness to bid game. I don’t know who is making what but I would not be comfortable passing with a 7- card suit. Partner might think AK are good defensive cards when they may be worth nothing on defence.”

Meanwhile, an interesting option from:

Stephen Blackstock “Double: I would first like to know what North has to say. Shame we aren't given all of the auction. Assuming North passes (that is the assumption) I will double, in an attempt to show North I like our defensive prospects and that my diamond lead is therefore likely to be a singleton.”

While for Nigel it depended what he had bid first time:

Nigel Kearney “Pass/4: After my pre-emptive 3, I would feel like I had bid my hand and could comfortably pass out 4. If I did anything else over 2, I would bid 4 next time because it looks like the best guess and partner doesn't know my hand. Bidding 4 over 4 is so often right.”

Trusting The Law of Total Tricks is:

Bruce Anderson “Pass: If I have bid 2 and West bids 4, and partner passes, I pass and lead my singleton diamond. We will not be making 4 and the Law of Total Tricks applies; E/W will at most be in either a 6-3 or 5-4 fit (partner will have at least 2 hearts), meaning game their way is unlikely.

If we have a 9-card fit too, then there are 18 tricks. That could be 10 to either side, 8 to the other. Say partner had 3 spades. They do not know we have 7 spades. It seems then their game is getting more likely to make.

Michael Ware “4: Now over 4, it seems likely partner would have taken an action. But if partner has passed I would bid 4.
I held this hand at the table, but my RHO overcalled 2 suction, heartsor the blacks. I thought LHO (presumably short in spades) would often struggle to know which hand type it was, and contented myself with 2.
LHO bid 3 Pass or correct though and my partner bid 3. We ended updefending 5X down 1.

It was a good idea this time to believe our opponents could make game as these were the 4 hands:

 

Our partner had plenty of aces but assuming East ruffs high on the third round of diamonds, we could only take 3 tricks. The passers will argue that had spades broken 2-1, then they would have been correct.

Meanwhile, against 4, maybe doubled, sometimes not, you have to finesse with Q to escape for down 2. You would prefer not to bring back – 800 to teammates.

Only Michael Ware mentioned that the opponents (here, West) might bid on to the contract they should not make, 5. That is another advantage of bidding to 4 either slowly or as Stephen Blackstock alluded, directly over 2. West above would find likely find it too hard not to bid 5. Knowing the rules about the 5 Level, North should not bid on over that.

Rare as this might be but a few months back, I opened a 22-23 2NT and found myself sacrificing correctly over my frisky opponents’ 4 cold game. In comparison, our partner’s 15 count barely registered!

Fri Day tomorrow for our less experienced players

Richard Solomon

 

Go Back View All News Items